Drop plate vending machine



Oct. 2, 1945. I N. J. LAMENDOLA 2,335,123

' DROP PLATE VENDING MACHINE Filed May 15, 1940 :s Sheets-Sheet 1 I V INVENTOR. I flick Lamuwdola- I A TTORNEY.

I ,N. J. LAMENDOLA 2,386,123

DROP PLATE VENDING MACHINE Filed May 13, 1940 s sheets-sheet, 2

II II'lIlIII INVENTOR.

- pick J Lamzhdola rv I ATTORNE Oct. 2, 1945. N. J. LAMENDOLA 2,

7 DROP PLATE VENDING MACHINE Filed May 13, 1940 I a Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

77icK J Lamendola" 92 ATIORN Patented Oct. 2, 1945 uN1TED" STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RoP PLATE VENDING MACHINE.

Nick 4 J. Lamendola, Des Moines, Iowa, now by. judicial change of name Nicolas J. La Doal Application May 13, 1940, Serial No. 334,735

| v n 3 Claims. 7 The principal object of this invention is to proconstructed that the items to be individually vide a vending machine that is so designed and vended are separately held in the machine in order; that the items will not engage :each other, stick together, or becomedamaged or distorted by their own weights resting on each other.

L A further object of this invention is to provide a drop plate item vending machine that cannot be successfully tampered with for the purpose of stealing the items therein; i V

A still l rther object ofthis ihventionis to provide a vendingm'achine that is easy to operate,

simple in construction, economical in manufacture and durable muse. r I

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the construction, ar-

rangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth,

- pointed out in my claims and. illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front View of my vending machine ready for use. V V

Fig. 2 is a side view of my vending machine.

, Fig. 3 is a front view of the mechanism of my vending machine.

Fig. 4 is a side sectional view of my machine taken on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the inner portion of my vending machine and more fully illustrates its construction.

Fig. 6 is a back v ew of some of the gears used I in the device.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged side View of the control ratchet gear means. 4 V

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the finger control rod.

There are many typesof vending machines 'now in general use. The chief objection to most of these machines, however, is that the items to be sold are not individually held and protected against each other. In the case of certain-packaged goods, such as candy, there may be a tendency for the packages to stick together. Also in many of the machines, the items are stacked one upon another with all of the weight of a column of items resting on the lowermost item. In the case of soft merchandise, suchas some candies, the lower packages aresmashed, distorted and damaged. Furthermorain the vending of certain types of merchandise, the mere fact that the itemsengage eachother tendto spoil all the merchandise. The vending of apples is an'illustration. I have overcome such objections by providing a compact, simple vending machine having individual shelves for each of the items tobe vended. I

' Referring to the drawings, I have used the numeral I0 to designate thehousing of my device. Such vending machine housings have a transparent window I I forviewing the merchandise to be vended, a coin return chute I2, a coin receiving slot I3, and avended merchandise compartment I4. It is in such or similar housings that-I install the mechanism of my vending machine and which I will now describe. The numeral l5 designates the main frame portion of my device which is in'the general form of a vertical trough depth of the trough frame, each of these plateor shelf members. I! may be swungrearwardly and upwardly to a'horizontal plane as shown in Fig. 4 or may swing downwardly to a vertical plane near the forward marginal edges of the frame I5 as shown inFi'g. 4. Obviously with these plates I] in a horizontal position,they will serve as shelves for supporting individual items as shownby dotted and designated by the numeral l8.

lines in Fig.3 When themerchandise is so'placed on these plates and the plates are in horizontal positions, the merchandisema'y be viewed through the window I I; The'numeral I9 designates a shaft rotatablymounted on the rear'side of the frame I5 and vertically positioned. The numeral 20 designates a plurality of pins radiallyv extending from and spaced apart on the shaft l9. These pins 20 are of the same number as the number of plates I1 and are arranged spirally around the shaft I9 as shown in Fig; 4 and in Fig. 8. The numeral 2| designates aplurality of spaced apart horizontal slits in the back of the frame I5 'into the frame I5 when the shaft horizontal position and the shaft l9 rotated to the left, the pins will move through the slots 2| and to positions below the plurality of plates ll respectively, thereby supporting the free ends of the plates and holding them in substantially horizontal positions. The numeral 22 designates a coil spring having one end secured to the shaft l9 and its other endsecured to the frame 15 for yieldingly rotating the shaft I9 to the right and to a position where the pins 26 will be out of the slots 2|. The numeral 23 designates a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on the back of the frame 15. The numeral 24 designates a bevel gear on the shaft l9. The numeral 25 designates a bevel gear on one end of the shaft 23 and in engage-. ment with the bevel gear 24. The numeral26 designates a shaft rotatably mounted on the right hand side of the frame I5. ignates a bevel gear on the other end of the shaft 23. The numeral 28 designates a bevel gear on one end of the shaft 26 in engagement with the bevel gear. 21. The numeral 29 designates a bevel gear on the other end of the shaft 26. The numeral 30 designates a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted in the two sides of the frame l5 and positioned near its forward edges respectively as shown in Fig. 5. The numeral 3| designates a bevel gear on one end of the shaft 30 in engagement with the bevel gear 29. The numeral 32 designates a one-way pawl wheel rigidly secured on the shaft 30. The numeral 33 designates a catch arm pivotally secured near its center to'the frame l5- and capable of having one of its edge portions raised to a position for engagement with the toothed pawl wheel 32. The numeral 34 designatesa coilspring having one end secured to the member 33 and its other end secured to the frame I 5 for yieldingly holding the member 33 in engagement with the pawl Wheel 32. The numeral 35 designates a knob on the shaft 30 to facilitate the manual rotation of the shaft 30. When the shaft 30 is rotated in. one direction, the shaft 19 will be rotated to the left and the teeth of the pawl 32 are so arranged that when the member 33 is in engagement with the same, the

shaft 30 will be prevented from rotating in the opposite direction and the shaft l9 from rotating to the right. Obviously the manual rotation of the knob 35 will be against the action of the coil sprin 22 and ifit were not for the member 33, the shaft l9 would rotate to the right upon the manualrelease of the knobv 35. The numeral 36 designates a trigger member pivoted between its two ends to the frame l5 and having one end extendextending toward, below and into the elongated coin chute 31, which is in communication with the coin slot l3. The numeral 38 designates a coin return mechanism communicating with the coin chute 31. The numeral. 39 designates a bar hingedly secured to the end of the trigger 36 adjacent the member 33. This hinged member 39- is capable of swinging upwardly relative to the trigger 36 but is stopped from swinging downwardly'below the horizontal plane of the member 36 as shown in Fig. 3. By this arrangement, when the left end portion. of the trigger 36 moves downwardly, the member 39 will swing upwardly to ride on and then'clear the end of the member 33; However, after the member 39 has cleared the member 33, it will assume a position below the member 33. The fulcrum point of the member 36 is so positioned that'its end in the vicinity of themember 33 will, by force of gravity; move downwardly to. a position where the member 39 The numeral 21 des-fl ing toward themember 33 and its other end is below the member 33. However, when a coin is dropped down the coin chute 31, it will strike the other end of the trigger 36 and to pass through the coin chute, it will move this end of the trigger 36 downwardly and the other end of the trigger upwardly, whereby the member 39 will engage the member 33 and momentarily bring the member 33 out of engagement with the pawl 32. As the member 33 moves downwardly, it engages the catch 49, causing the same to engage the periphery of the pawl and prevent further rotation of the pawl. By this arrangement, the pawl 32 will be permitted to rotate one tooth each time the member 33 moves away from it. -As soon as the member 33 moves upwardly to again engage the periphery of the pawl, the small spring 4! will move the catch 40 out of engagement with the pawl. The numeral 42 designates a flexible cable secured to each of the plates i! as shown in the drawings. This cable extends around rollers 43 and is fastened to the manual lever 44. By this arrangement, when the lever 44 is moved in one direction, the cable 42 will be tightened and will pull up all of the plates l! to a position somewhat above the horizontal. While the lever 44 is held in this position, the knob 35 is rotated to wind up the shaft to the left, thereby bringing the pins 20 under all of the plates I1. After this has been accomplished, the member 33 will be in engagement with the pawl 32 and the knob and lever may be released.

With the device in such cocked condition,the items to be vended are individually placed on the plate shelves I! and the cover of the housing In replaced in the usual manner.

Whenever a coin is placed in the device, it will drop downwardly, striking the trigger 36 and permitting the pawl 32 to rotate one tooth. This permits a slight rotation of the shaft H) to the right, and as the formation of the pins 20 spiral upwardly and tothe left, the pins will successively pass through the slot openings 2| with the lower pins moving through the slots first. The device is so constructed that each notch or tooth of the pawl 32 will successively move a pin 20 from below a plate H with the lower plates being freed successively as the shaft I9 rotatesdue to the action of spring 22. As. an illustration,. when the first coin is inserted, the lowest pin 26 will move from under the lowest plate I] thereby, permitting that plate to fall downwardly by gravity and deposit its merchandise in the compartment. [-4. The second coin would cause the shaft l9 to rotateto a position where the next pin will move free of the adjacent end of the second lowest plate. This same procedure will continue until'the'shaft 19 has rotated to the right sufficiently to bring all/of the pins from below the, plates and with all of the plates downwardly and the merchandise in the machine completely dispensed. With' the machine empty, it is then necessary to reload and refill it ash'erebefore explained.

Some changes may be'made in the construction and arrangement. of my improved drop plate vending machine without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a vending machine, a combination of a plurality of vertically spaced apart hinged plate means operatively engaging each of said plate members, the points on the flexible member at which the individual plate members engage said 7 flexible member being so arranged that when a portion of said flexible member adjacent the topmost plate member is raised upwardly, all of said plate members are brought into horizontal planes at substantially the same tim, and means for raising said portion of said flexible member.

- 2. In a vending machine, the combination of a plurality of hinged vertically spaced apart plate members for supporting merchandise when in horizontal positions, a substantially vertical shaft rotatably mounted adjacent the horizontally extended free ends of said plate members, a plurality on the flexible member at which the individual plate members engage the said flexible member being so arranged that when a portion of said flexible member adjacent the topmost plate member is raised upwardly, all of said plate members are brought into horizontal planes at substantially the same time, and means for raising said portion of said flexible member.

3; In a vending machine a combination of a plurality of vertically spaced apart hinged members for supporting merchandise when in horizontal positions and a flexible member having means operatively engaging a plurality of said hinged members, the points on the flexible member at which the individual hinged members engage said flexible member being so arranged that when a portion of said flexible member adj acent the top-most hinged member which is connected to said flexible member is raised upwardly, all of said hinged members connected to said flexible member are brought into generally horizontal planes at substantially the same time.

' NICK J. LAMENDOLA. 

